Single Sundays: The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for The Sound of Stars (from Goodreads):

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.

Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.

Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.

Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

Author: Alecia Dow
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person & Third Person
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

So you see that cover right? That’s why I clicked on the title when I was browsing my audiobook collection at my library. But the synopsis reminded me of a hybrid between Defy the Fates and Alienated with a darker edge, so I was curious to find out what this book was all about.

The Concept / The World:

If you are a fan of books and/or music, you will love how that is all woven into this text. It’s reminds me why these mediums are so important to society and how it connects people in times of struggles.

And it you are in the search for books that feature minority characters (whether that be people of colour and/or LGBTQ leads), look no further. The representation here is top-notch.

The Plot:

Like I thought, this book has a darker edge to it. In some ways, the plot reminded me of The Darkest Minds where people are pushed into situations of tentative trust in order to survive.

And then the plot takes a turn I never anticipated and that was a huge highlight for me. It alludes to something bigger than what this story is and I really liked that.

The Characters:

I liked both of our characters well enough. It was hard to get a good read on Morris because his POV is third person. Ellie is understandably a little sombre about everything so she isn’t the most exciting person to listen to. They weren’t overly memorable to me though.

The Romance:

The romance really dampened the whole experience for me because I just didn’t see those non-platonic feelings between them at all. Part of the issue is perhaps that Morris is an alien so emotions are hard to convey. But I also didn’t get Ellie’s draw to him besides physical attraction and close proximity. Yes, they have things in common but it just wasn’t enough for me to be convinced they were this epic, forbidden love story.

My Audiobook Experience:

A great listen. They did a really good job bringing this story to life.

My Rating: 3/5

When you are trying to sell me on this epic forbidden romance, you really need to sell it and I felt like it didn’t. Which is a shame because I feel like it is the crucial piece in making this story epic.

Read if You Like: science fiction, alien invasions
Avoid if You: want an action novel